I work in a residential house for adults with physical disabilities.

I was looking for a project that was big and handy to work on and not too childish. Also the budget for activities is low. This project cost us all of 5 Euro for a bit of glue and paint.

I found a big box and my idea for the Monster House from the movie Monster House was born.

Step 1: All We Needed

All we used was a large box. It had already a great shape. I used a glue gun to stick bits of the cardboard box together to give it more shape.

We used wallpaper glue and old newspapers to paper-mache the box.

Cheap poster paint we had already in stock. I used green, red, black and white.

Step 2: Glue, Glue and More Glue.

I stuck the box together using a glue gun.

Then the fun started with the paper-mache.

First we used newspaper to cover the whole box and mould some shapes like lips and roofs.

We covered all of it with tissue paper and more glue to give it a better finish for painting.

Step 3: Coffee Break

All of it needs a good bit of drying time.

Coffee and tea time!!!

Really we let it dry for a few days.

Step 4: Teeth

I cut the teeth out of an empty cereal box. They were painted while I painted the inside of the mouth.

I glued them between layers of more paper-mache. I used some PVA glue for this step to give the teeth a better hold.

Step 5: Paint

I used a mixture of green, red, black and a bit of white. It made a nice dark greenie, brownie, grayie colour.

These 2 men worked for 2 days solid, painting the whole house.

I made the windows from a bit of crepe paper that I had lying around.

Step 6: Finished

I painted the details as it is hard for the men to draw lines and to reach the highest parts.

We are proudly displaying our huge Monster House in the foyer of the residential house until after Halloween.

It's been a great and cheap project.